This Pre Respirator model from Zenith is one of the most popular square dress watches available, without spending much more money. Model reference 922A087.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the inscription on the case back we can accurately date this watch to being engraved in 1969. The watch may have been made slightly earlier, but the movement wasn’t available until 1966. After 1968 most had the word Respirator on the dial, but 1969 seems the most obvious year of sale. We have found a very similar model in the Zenith books, with the word Respirator printed on the same colour dial.
CONDITION
The case is 20 micron gold plated, and the case back is stainless steel. The case back has the initials VN, the date 31.8.69, and the work Työtoverit, which is Finnish for Colleagues. The case back on these houses the movement and to get to it you need to split the stem and push the case out through the back. There you will find the in house Zenith calibre 2542PC, with 25 jewels and date at 4.30. We have fitted a new gasket that fits between the dial and crystal to aid water resistance. The dial has clear and obvious patina but it is not an unattractive finish at all. The corners of the case do show some wear through the plating, but it looks worse in studio lighting than in real life. The leather strap is new, and could be swapped for a different colour or material if preferred. The watch is signed on the dial, case, movement, inside of the buckle and crown.
This watch will be supplied with our branded and reusable zipped travel case, and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 32.8 mm
Width without crown 30.0 mm
Between lugs 20 mm
Lug to lug length 39.7 mm
Case Thickness 10.5 mm
All sizes are approximate. The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
